Chapter 67 Advice based on emotion is something you should never take seriously...

Yan Ning's refusal of the marriage proposal in court was absurd, and causing Old Master Cui to fall seriously ill was also an unforgivable mistake. However, he was, after all, the eldest son and grandson of the direct line of the Yan family. His kneeling was undoubtedly a slap in the face to the Yan family. Even if he was willing, the elders of the Yan family could not bear to hear it.

After a period of stalemate, news reached Jiankang, and the Yan family immediately sent people. They first tried to appease Cui Langzhu with gifts and a large quantity of expensive and essential medicines, and then offered to take Yan Ning back to discuss the matter further, promising to give them an explanation.

Lord Cui was angry, after all, this matter was most damaging to the Cui family's reputation. However, if he didn't compromise, he wouldn't get any good out of it and would only be branded as someone who forced a marriage. What would others think of their daughter that they would resort to such means to force her into marriage? So he went along with it and agreed, but said, "This matter is not something that my Cui family is coercing. It's just that Wan'er and Sanlang have already had intimate relations. Although the customs of the Jin Dynasty are now open and young ladies can choose their husbands and remarry, this matter is still not a glorious thing. If it gets out, it will damage her reputation. It is a last resort. I hope you can explain this clearly to Lord Yan so as not to damage the friendship between our two families."

"Of course."

Having said that, it was best not to say anything more. The next day, he was treated with courtesy and escorted out of Qinghe's territory.

Yan Ning had a knee injury, and it was late autumn, a season with frequent rain, so her journey was very slow.

The physician who came with the Yan family took on the responsibility of treating patients, and Cui Shi and Yan Sheng personally took care of them, so Li Yunru was not allowed to get close to them at all.

Everyone can see that this is dissatisfaction with Yan Ning's behavior, and that they are deliberately trying to embarrass Li Yunru.

“Princess,” Shu Yun said with concern, “Why don’t I go and talk to Miss Asheng and ask her to come up with a way to let you two meet?”

"No."

She did want to see how Yan Ning was recovering, but with the Yan family so obviously targeting her, if she insisted, it would only put Yan Sheng in a difficult position, and there might not be any results. Instead, it would just give them an excuse to talk about her.

The Yan family wanted a proper and well-behaved daughter-in-law, and she upheld those rules. She could bear this embarrassment!

They have a long future together, regardless of the present moment.

She trusted Yan Changjun and could understand him.

It was already past September when they returned to Jiankang. Yan Langzhu submitted a memorial to Emperor Wucheng on behalf of Yan Ning, requesting sick leave, and he was temporarily relieved of his duties in the capital.

The Yan family now wants to resolve this matter as soon as possible.

So the clan elders had been notified early on, and the carriage stopped at the Yan family's gate. Li Yunru was stopped outside the gate for the second time.

"Your Excellency must be tired from your journey. This is a family matter of the Yan family, so there is no need for you to get involved. Please return to your residence and settle down as soon as possible."

What's this?

Housework?

The meaning is clear: she is not considered Yan Changjun's wife, nor is she a member of the Yan family!

In the past, Li Yunru would have been furious and retorted without hesitation if she heard such sarcastic and rude words, but tonight she held back.

The woman nodded slightly with a smile, curtsied, and said, "Sanlang is my husband. We have not yet officially divorced. The Yan family's affairs are also my affairs. Moreover, this matter involves me as well. I should be present no matter what."

She spoke gently, without a trace of temper, and her words were reasonable and well-founded.

The Yan family was truly astonished that in just over half a year, the usually arrogant Lady Liyang would be so obedient and not leave in anger. They stood there stunned for a moment, but after their astonishment subsided, they remained firm in their stance, stating that the Yan family ancestral hall was an important place and that no woman outside the Yan family was allowed to enter.

"Then I will..."

She meant she would just watch from outside the door.

Ha! She really wanted to see what kind of cases their revered ancestral precepts could actually solve!

Before she could finish speaking, Yan Ning walked over and cut off all her thoughts, saying, "Go back and get some rest, it'll be alright."

"But……"

"Trust me, it'll be alright."

He grasped Li Yunru's hand. His hand was large, and his fingertips, calloused from years of archery and zither playing, slid across her delicate, warm palm. Li Yunru grasped it back, met his clear eyes, and nodded. "Alright, I'll brew your favorite tea at the County Lady's residence and wait for you."

"Um."

Li Yunru waited five days for this pot of tea, refilling it as it cooled, only to have it cool again, in an endless cycle, but she never saw the person who had made the promise. It wasn't until the seventh day that someone she didn't want to see came to her door.

"What a rare guest! I never imagined that you, Madam, would one day grace my door with your presence."

She asked Shuyun to offer Cui a seat and poured Yan Ning a cup of tea that she had prepared for her.

Cui looked at the tea in silence.

She had indeed never set foot in the county magistrate's residence.

Firstly, what kind of custom is it for a mistress to visit her own daughter-in-law?

Secondly, this commoner family is still a commoner family. No matter how beautiful and luxurious their mansion is, it cannot change these things. As a respected lady from a prominent family, she is naturally unwilling to lower herself to associate with them.

Furthermore, she disliked Liyang from the very beginning and never approved of the marriage. Her ideal daughter-in-law was always a lady from her own family.

But given the decisions made by the Lord and his relatives, she had no choice but to offer advice.

Today, however, she could no longer maintain her composure as before. As a mother, she was willing to humble herself and make this trip for her child.

"This is Sanlang's favorite Golden Snow Silver Sprout, sourced from Shu. It is only available in spring and is not easy to obtain. The county magistrate's residence always keeps it on hand, which shows that she is not entirely indifferent to that boy."

Thinking about it, it makes sense.

If she were truly acting on impulse, her son wouldn't have gone to such lengths to oppose the entire family for a woman.

These kinds of things only work out if both people are willing to do them.

Li Yunru did not deny it, saying, "If that's the case, why don't you grant my husband and me our love?"

Cui smiled, but her face was full of bitterness. She said, "Do you think that the reason things are like this between you is because I'm interfering and unwilling to let go?"

Isn't that so?

Li Yunru couldn't say those words because she knew it wasn't true.

What truly cannot tolerate them is the Yan family, and the hierarchical rules of aristocratic families!

It's about social standing and pride.

When Cui saw that her eyes darted around without her saying anything, she roughly guessed what she was thinking. For the first time in front of others, she praised this daughter-in-law whom she had never approved of, saying, "The county magistrate is wise and must understand why. The difference in status between you is an insurmountable chasm that will not change no matter how many years pass."

Although she now holds the title of county magistrate, she actually has no power whatsoever. Her elder sister is far removed from the center of power, and her elder brother is imprisoned. Such a family background is worlds apart from that of top-tier families like theirs, and it will not provide any help to her children in the future, whether in the family or in politics.

Furthermore, she is carefree and not suited to be a steward in the inner quarters, overseeing accounts.

Such a person is never suited to be a matriarch.

They were already being generous by allowing her to be a concubine, and to make her a secondary wife would be an even greater concession, yet she always seemed to be pushing their limits...

Li Yunru knew what Cui disliked about her, and she said, "These things that Madam cares about, my husband doesn't care about. He has me in his heart, and the affection between us is enough to erase the differences brought about by our status."

Upon hearing this, Cui laughed out loud, "She's a young woman after all."

She simply said this, without offering any further judgment, then stood up and invited her, "Would the county magistrate be willing to accompany me on this journey?"

Where to?

Cui kept everyone in suspense, saying, "You'll find out when we get there."

She wouldn't lie to her and then have someone kill her, would she?

Li Yunru rarely saw Cui Shi being so amiable. She really wanted to know what Cui Shi was up to, so she rode with her in a carriage out of the city.

The two walked for an unknown amount of time before finally stopping in a secluded mountain wilderness.

"This is?"

The view in front of you is expansive, with beautiful scenery as far as the eye can see. There are also many fruits and vegetables planted around, but there are not many houses nearby, only one elegantly built house, built by the water, surrounded by flowers and willows, which is breathtakingly beautiful.

"This is a villa belonging to the Yan family."

As soon as she finished speaking, a young woman ran out of the door, followed closely by a group of servants.

The young woman looked quite young, perhaps only fifteen or sixteen, but upon closer inspection, her normally flat stomach was slightly protruding. She was unhappy, her face full of worry, and she even patted her stomach with her hand. However, the servants behind her only cared about her stomach and did not pay any attention to her or ask her why she was like this.

"Madam, you wouldn't be trying to tell me that my husband claims to love me and only has me, but secretly he's keeping a mistress who's pregnant with his child, would you?"

She definitely wouldn't believe that!

I don't believe it!

Madam Cui shook her head, "That's not Changjun's person, it's Langzhu's. She's currently carrying... Changjun's younger brother."

Li Yunru: "..."

After the deaths of Yan Yun's mother, Consort Cui, and Yan An's mother, who had no official status, Lord Yan never took another concubine. He and Consort Cui treated each other with respect, which was considered a beautiful story in the aristocratic family. However, he never expected... and the young woman looked so young.

She actually knew a little about the Yan family couple, but she was still shocked by what she saw with her own eyes today.

Ignoring her shock, Cui continued, "This woman, like you, comes from a commoner family. Her mother was quite a figure twenty or thirty years ago."

The man told her about the past, saying, "The current Changjun is somewhat similar to his father when he was young. His father was also willing to die for that commoner girl, but what about now? He still weighs the pros and cons and chooses his family. In the end, he forgot all his old feelings. As for this person... she was just an anecdote about his romantic affairs in his later years."

At the age of fifty, he takes a young woman in her early twenties as his wife, but doesn't give her any official status. Instead, he uses the name of an old friend and the name of love. His shamelessness is transformed into deep affection. It's utterly ridiculous!

"Love is something you can't take seriously."

Unexpectedly, the young master of the Yan family had such a past. It sounds somewhat similar to her and Yan Ning now, but she is not like Cui Shi, she will not be demure and dignified, just to be a proper noblewoman in the eyes of the world.

She believed that her husband would not be the Lord of Yan.

They have always been different.

She could sense it and had her own judgment.

“Madam’s past is indeed touching, but Madam has forgotten one thing: I am not you, nor will I be that Jianghu woman. Your child, Yan Changjun, will not be Yan Langzhu. If we were the same, Madam would not have condescended to come to me today.”

Cui looked at her with some admiration and said, "Liyang, I've said before that you are very smart and courageous, but these things are not important in aristocratic families."

Li Yunru said, "I don't need you to think it's important. The rules of the aristocratic families are for you aristocratic families, not for me. As long as I am extremely satisfied with myself, that's enough."

"Oh, no, my husband, your child, he also doesn't think it's important. He likes me just the way I am."

Cui smiled bitterly, "Yes, he is not his father. He likes you the way you are, but how can you guarantee that your relationship will withstand the test of ten, twenty, or thirty years?"

"Friendship fades with time."